Rian Johnson Has Pointed Out A ‘Last Jedi’ Line That Helps Explain What Happened To Luke Skywalker

Writer and director Rian Johnson is understandably hesitant to say too much about what happens to Luke Skywalker at the end of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. He wants to let the scene in question, in which everyone’s favorite Tatooine farmboy collapses and vanishes after distracting Kylo Ren and the First Order so his friends on Crait could escape unscathed, speak for itself. Mostly.

“I don’t want to get too explicit, because I like people being able to have their own interpretations,” Johnson explained to The Huffington Post, “but I think definitely the act of what he does at the end literally just takes everything out of him… He’s having his final act be something of myth-making in a way.”

Johnson, who isn’t writing Episode IX but will helm a new Skywalker-less trilogy, also emphasized a line of dialogue from early in The Last Jedi that explains Luke’s motivations. “It does go back a little bit to what he said at the beginning,” he said. “‘What do you think one guy walking out there with a lightsaber [can do]?’ The answer is: Create a legend that will spread hope. And once he’s done that, combined with the physical toll it’s taken on him, you can make the case that then there’s nothing more powerful that he could accomplish.” Or is there?

“The idea of Luke having passed into another realm and what the potential could be there for his involvement, that seems like it just gives you a whole other realm to get into if [J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio] chose to in the next film.” (Via)

Last Jedi gave us the return of mischievous Yoda. Maybe Episode IX can bring back cocky Luke. No matter how many times he saves the galaxy, he’s still the guy who embarrassed Wedge with his talk about bullseye-ing womp rats.